


Salvation by Vegetables

by couik_9087



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: District 12, F/M, Fluff, Post-War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-29 05:11:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21404746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/couik_9087/pseuds/couik_9087
Summary: Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch are back from the Capitol after the war. How are they managing this post-war era? Soon enough, they will find themselves surrounded by new people in search of a new beginning in District Twelve. Life comes back slowly, but Haymitch still has trouble to blend in. Maybe a special someone will be able to help him?
Relationships: Haymitch Abernathy & Effie Trinket, Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> They say to write what you want to read. So this is what I did. I got some ideas for a couple of more chapters, if the interest is there. Let me know about that.   
The characters and the backstory are obviously not mine, I just play with them.

The last months changed a lot of things. He didn’t know if it was his feelings towards Effie that changed, or Effie herself. Maybe a little of both. Against all odds, he grew accustomed to her. They didn’t have many friends here in Thirteen, so they kept each other company. Entertainment was rare and they ended up talking most evenings for lack of better options.

Well, she would talk and he would be close enough to hear what she was saying.

He tried not to listen to her endless rants about the tasteless food, the grey uniform, the feather-less pillows. Sometimes he snapped at her and went away, but he always came back. Days were busy trying to keep the world alive but the evenings were lonesome and sleep light. It was war and everything was controlled, rationed, goal-oriented. Effie made it more bearable. She was one of the few people that had known him before. The war made her lose some of her extravagance, but he liked her better like that. More down-to-earth. More real.

Over time, he even surprised himself by sharing some personal stuff with her. He was even more surprised that Effie listened to him. Really listened to him. Nobody did that before (maybe the fact that he did not share anything with anybody else was for something, though). And she shared some of her memories too. Those times, he listened. But his favorite times were when they just lay side by side on her bunk bed in silence, lost in their thoughts and fears. One time, she had said to him that she had never looked at the stars before. The Capitol was too bright, with lights everywhere. So one night, he sneaked out to the Supply Room and found an old map of the constellations. He pinned it to the ceiling above her bed and from now on, they could look at the sky before he had to get back to his own bunk bed.

***

They had to leave the Capitol and he was sad. He was not really good with emotions and everything, but he knew he was going to miss her. Nevertheless, he was happy to go home. He was looking forward the calm. No tight schedule, no air strike alarm, no fear of dying everyday.

He needed to breathe for a while and lick his wounds alone. Well, he was not going to be completely alone since Katniss and Peeta would be there, but still.

When the time came to say goodbye to Effie, he didn’t know how to handle it. He felt like there was so many things he wanted to say, but nothing seemed worthy. So he mumbled something and kissed her cheek.

He had not planned to kiss her a second time. But she looked so sad, and he didn’t know what else to do. And maybe he had started to like her a little bit. Just a little bit. So he kissed her softly on her lips. It was brief but he felt a strike of familiarity afterwards, as if they had done it all their lives.

He did not look back.

***

He was not handling this after-war thing very well.

At first, the three of them were the only ones in Twelve. They resumed to their old houses, the only one spared from the bombing. Katniss was in charge of providing meat and Peeta was in charge of preparing the meals and baking. Haymitch even pitched in with berry picking. But there was not so many fruits near, and he’d often come home empty handed.

He was just laying around most of the time. He finished the last liquor bottle he had in his house on the first week and now he was feeling empty. He was going mad with nothing to do and he was constantly around Peeta and Katniss. He loved those kids, but sometimes he just wanted to be alone.

Since all the other districts were facing reconstruction themselves, the supplies convoys were rare. They still managed to get by, but they soon realized they would need a more permanent source of food while the other districts production got back on track.

***

“For the last time, Katniss, I’m sorry I said that. I know it’s not your fault you only caught a squirrel this afternoon. I should be grateful that you have caught something at all.” Peeta said to a very angry Katniss.

“It’s not my fault the rabbit trap was poorly knotted!” she replied, irritated. “Haymitch did those!”

“Hey, don’t bring me into your lovers fight, sweetheart” Haymitch intervened.

Katniss ignored his last comment. “How am I supposed to provide for us three when you don’t do anything to help?!”

“I did those traps, didn’t I?” Haymitch responded, annoyed.

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, and we can see the results.”

Haymitch was getting furious. How could she be so thankless for everything he’d done for her?

Peeta sensed the tension in the room. It wasn’t the first time they were bickering, but this time they were looking at each other like they were on the verge on attacking one another. He felt the time was good as ever to talk about the idea he had a couple days ago. “We could make a garden” he proposed.

They turned their head to him as one. “A garden?” Katniss interjected.

“Yeah! You know, to grow vegetables and stuff.” Peeta added. “So we’d always have something to eat.”

Nobody said anything. Unsure, he continued, “there’s some untouched land at the end of the street, maybe we could do it there?”

Haymitch finally broke the silence, “That’s actually a good idea, kiddo”.

And so, the garden was created.


	2. Chapter 2

It took a couple of weeks to clear the land and prepare the soil. Somehow, Haymitch found himself the garden manager. Katniss was already in charge of hunting, and Peeta was not much help when it came to gardening. On the first week after transferring the young plants into the garden, he managed to crush an entire row of tomatoes when he tripped over a root. So Haymitch took over and forbidden Peeta to get near the garden again.

Haymitch was surprised to even like the job, to be honest. Taking care of small green leafy things were never a life goal of his, but he was coming home each day with a sense of satisfaction. The manual labour kept his hands and mind occupied. When he was not pulling weeds, he was watering plants, rebuilding some part of the fence or arranging the surrounding space.

He had a couple of projects he wanted to do before the winter and so, he was working in the garden all day long. Nobody was bothering him in the garden, and he cherished the solitude.

Especially since people started to come back to District 12.

There were just a couple of people first. They were mandated by the Capitol to restore the streets and buildings of the District. Soon after the workers finished their job and returned to the Capitol, more people came.

They were not workers this time, but ordinary people, families and adults that wanted to start over fresh in a new place. Some were from District 12, but most were from other Districts.

In the space of a few months, the District 12 had an official population of 312. Though it was still too much for Haymitch’s taste. He always got up early in the morning to avoid people on his way to the garden and finished well after everybody was back in their home for dinner.

Life was slowly going back to normal in District 12. Things were never going to be the same, but people started living and working again. People reopened shops; others got back to the mines. District 12 was slowly but surely reborn from its ashes.

Convoys from the Capitol were more frequent and predictable, bringing with them supplies, food and sometimes even new people. Usually, a little feast was organized to welcome the newcomers. Such a feast was planned the next day, since the most recent convoy from the Capitol was two days ago. Haymitch, of course, didn’t like any of those feasts. There were too many people, too much small talk and not enough alcohol. Peeta was generally excited to attend the feasts and Katniss was reluctantly following, leaving Haymitch to his peace. This time was different. They were both very eager that he came to the party, which was unusual. Haymitch still declined the invitation, but he couldn’t help wondering why they both wanted him there so much this time around. He was so lost in his thoughts on the way home that he didn’t see his new neighbour crossing the street to get into Peeta and Katniss’ house. If he had, he would have instantly recognised the woman, as she was wearing a beautiful dress, the kind you could only find in the Capitol stores. She was discreetly stealing a glance at him as he was fumbling with his keys on his doorstep, a timid smile on her lips.


End file.
